In Sickness and In Health
by canibecandid
Summary: My world seems to have two halves that exist completely outside of each other.They both have the same make-up and morals, but they have separate lives and hide a different secret. It's like those worlds could never peacefully co-exist. -Ella
1. Kasey

I don't own CR, I don't even own the clinic.

Thank you to all of your support!

If you haven't read "Rose Garden", "Winning Roses: A Nate Drabble", "Sweet Tooth", or "Painting Wild Flowers" and I would appreciate it if you did.

This story is dedicated to the clinic I attend. Please have hope.

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><p><strong>Title:<strong> Kasey

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><p>"<em>Kasey isn't coming back<em>." What they really mean is _"Kasey is dead."_ They take down the pictures of him, one by one until nothing is left. The kids from our original group are silent, mourning the loss. Kasey had been here at the clinic the longest, the focus of hope in our group, and now he's gone. Javi and I have been assigned to the task of going through his belongings to get it ready for shipping. Logan, Kasey's best friend at the hospital, is scratching another tally on the bottom of the pool table.

"Thirty-four out of fifty and sixteen left to go. Odds aren't looking that great for us." He chuckles darkly before locking eyes with me. I have to break away first because I'm thinking the same thing. _**You're next.**_

"Shut up." Javi grits out his hands trembling.

"What did you say, Javi? I couldn't hear you."

"I said shut up, Logan. We're all scared and angry but there's no point in scaring the newbies or Ella." Logan stalks over to where we are, and I realize that I'm crying. He looks at me than Javi. Logan grabs Kasey's prized possession, his baseball trophy, and starts slamming it into the wall.

Amber is screaming at him to stop and Nikki is calling for help. Javi's face hardens and it's like slow motion as he tackles Logan to the ground. Andy springs in to action as things start falling off the wall, yanking Javi off of Logan. About that time Mindy and Blake run in and start lecturing about how we need to get along. Broken tables, chairs, pictures, not to mention the gaping hole in the wall. I look around the room and everything just seems shattered, the people included.

"What is that?" Tori asks with her nine year old innocence. Her attention is on a newly exposed piece of wall. I walk over to see what she's talking about, but the sight leaves me speechless.

Posted to the wall are pictures and newspaper articles of all of us, from the workers at the clinic to the kids who are receiving treatment. From Javi in boxing match to little Tori playing hopscotch in the hospital lobby, everyone was celebrated, even the ones who are gone. Everyone looks at the wall in awe. Apparently Kasey had made a collage of all our greatest moments, and had also worked to make it the best kept secret_ ever_.

There's a photo of Logan holding a golfing trophy.

_Logan plays golf?_

I wasn't the only one learning new things about my fellow clinicians.

"Javi, you do boxing?"

"Laura, can you teach _me_ how to do gymnastics?"

People voice their surprise at these new discoveries, but the only thought in my head is _why didn't I know these things before?_ Hadn't we been together for a few years now?

Finally Logan taps me on the shoulder and breaks my concentration.

"He left you a letter… oh and a late congrats on the whole singing thing." His lip is split open but he tries to smile as he hands me the envelope.

'Thanks, you too at the golf tournament"

I flip the letter over in my hands a few times, noting that it was in fact addressed to me.

"Well are you gonna read it or what?" Blake asks, making me notice that I had the attention of all the eyes in the room.

I take a shaky breath and break the seal.

"_Dear Ella-belle,_

_And everyone else. _

_If you've found this letter, it's pretty safe to say that y'all have packed all my stuff to be sent to my mom. It's also a pretty good guess that you've found my "wall of fame." _

_ To the newbies, take a look around you. This place can either be a safety or an absolute hell, if you let it be. I put pictures of all my favorite moments of y'all at the clinic for that reason alone."_ Sniffles are heard and I glance around the room before I continue again.

"_To the originals,_

_First I'd like to say that I'm sorry for adding to the tally, it's never easy to lose someone. Secondly, y'all need to get y'alls act together. How many of you knew that Tori's name is short for Lotris and not Victoria? Some of you think like 'this is the end, why bother anyway?' That's why you should care that much more._

_To Mindy and Blake,_

_Please re-paint the walls. Puke green is gross."_

Blake laughs loudly and wipes his eyes slightly.

"_Finally, it comes to you Ella. You have got to be one of the strangest women I know."_ I give a watery laugh and I hold the tears in a much as possible.

"_No one else knows how to make a child calm down while getting their blood work done, but one else can be quite as terrifying as you can be. It's now your turn to be 'the person who's been here the longest.' But you need to do better thank Mark, Jane, and even me. You need to live; you need to be a ray of hope."_

I want to stop but I can't help myself any more.

"_I lied, I'm addressing the whole group again. Sorry Ella, you're not done yet. They tell us that we don't have an immune system, but we seem to be immune to each other. There are a few things I hope you never grow immune too._

_The first loud crack of a baseball and a wooden bat at the first game of the season._

_The way medicine feels when it dissolves on the tip of your tongue_

_Having a good laugh with your friends_

_And most importantly_

_The way a sunset looks, you never know which one will be your last._

_I know it's incredibly corny and cheesy but I don't care. After all, y'all wanted to know why I always sat in the window seat. Plus, it was something that Jane taught me and I decided that she was right._

_Like you I didn't, and don't, have an immune system. But there's one thing I am immune to,"_

My voice cracks on the last sentence,

"_**The end."**_

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><p><strong>AN**: This is a semi-true story in the fact that the Auto Immune System Deficiency that Ella has is real. I actually have AISD and am trying to raise awareness. This story won't be very long, maybe a few chapters.


	2. Undone

I don't own CR

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><p>My world seems to have two halves that exist completely outside of each other. They have this delicate balance that's one part Ella Pador and another part Ella-belle. They both have the same make-up and morals, but they have separate lives and hide a different secret. It's like those worlds could never peacefully co-exist. But as Jason talks about doing a small acoustic show for the St. Andrew's treatment center, I feel their collision is emanate.<p>

"I think it would be really cool to raise awareness for this group! Apparently, as they get older, their immune systems weaken and they get really sick all the time. It's usually fetal from what I've heard."

"And it's not AIDS?"

My hackles raise, but I bite my tongue. _No Shane, it just has the same letters. __**Acquired**__ Immune Deficiency __**Syndrome**__ is not the same as__** Auto**__ Immune __**System **__Deficiency. _I want to yell, but then I feel like I'd have to explain why I suddenly became the expert on something that wasn't even well publicized.

Thankfully, Jason rolls his eyes, and telling Shane "No, it's not AIDS."

Nate looks over the presentation that Caitlyn helped Jason make with scrutinizing eyes, deciding if this was something that they should support. If they're putting their name behind AISD, he wants to be sure that this isn't something that will be negative towards business.

Mitchie has that gleam in her eyes that says it all, and she voices that an acoustic show would be a great show of charity and anyone else with estrogen agrees.

"Ella, what do you think?"

Of course I would be performing too, it just couldn't be enough that were going. On the one side, I would love for AISD to be put to the for-front. But at the same time, I'd be risking the separation of my two lives.

The wheels in my head turn, crank, and I chew the inside of my lip before I say anything.

"It sounds like a great idea."

_What have I done?_

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><p>By the time the meeting is over, I've broken out in hives. I can feel them sweating and sweltering under my cardigan, they sting so much that I almost burst into tears of joy when I can race to the bathroom and take my medicine. I rush in and lock the door, my hands trembling as I dig through my purse for the pink medicine carrier. I open the lid with shaking hands and take out the fast working amitriptyline. It leaves a tingling sensation as it slides down my throat, but my clam comes back in waves. As the trembling stops I shrug out of my cardigan, letting out a painful hiss as the fabric rubs over my hives.<p>

I glance down at my arms and feel myself start to break down. I turn on the cold water and run some paper towels under it, sticking them to my forearms and just sliding down the wall afterward.

I hear the lock jingle and quickly sit up, shutting off the water.

"Ella?" Caitlyn's voice comes from behind the door. "Ella, are you in there?"

I don't say anything put continue to stare at the lock as it jiggles and twist.

The dreaded moment comes with a cheerful _ping._

Caitlyn rushes into the bathroom and looks around first, looking for anything that might be out of place. Then she stops and looks at me. Her eyes widen as she zeros in on my arms.

"Oh, Ella! What happened?" She closes the distance between us and snatches up my wrist in her hands. I can't help the cry of pain that comes with her nails digging into my flesh.

"Ju-just shut the door." I plead, yanking my arm back and cradling it close to my chest.

"Shit Ella, I'm sorry. You know it didn't mean to hurt you, right?" Her honey eyes have cracks of concern in them mixed with anxiety.

"I know Cait, I just hurts really bad." I nearly sob, waiting for the medicine to kick in and the numbing to start.

"Ella, what happened? What is going on?" Caitlyn takes my arm again, but it more ginger in her caring. "They're hives. This is how my syndrome manifests its self."

She looks up from my arm, confusion written across her face.

"Caitlyn, _I_ have AISD."

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><p>"How long?" Caitlyn is sitting across from me on the bathroom floor, her features guarded.<p>

"I found out the summer of the camp wars." Her eyes flash from my arms to my cardigan and she goes back to relive that summer, I know because I see that look all time.

"You didn't wear short sleeves that summer, how did I not notice?" She pauses and thinks, and I already know what she's going to say.

"You haven't worn short sleeves period. You've always had something covering your arms!" It's like a revelation to her, it suddenly snaps in to place and she has all the missing pieces.

"When you were gone that week, spending time with your mom, you were sick... weren't you?" She closes her eyes like she's dreading the answer.

"Yes."

"And Christmas, last year when you left early?"

"Yes."

"And when you couldn't go to Florida with us?"

"I was getting lab work done."

"When you missed camp last summer?" Her eyes snap open and tears leak out.

My voice wavers and I feel my own tears. "Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Her voice has a slight edge to it and I wince.

"Because you'd be angry that I didn't tell all of you sooner. Even if I had told you the day I found out, would you've believed me?"

She thinks, and shakes her head no.

"Is that why you didn't say anything during the meeting? Because you didn't want us to find out?"

I nod my head and sigh.

"I'm part of the clinic group at St. Andrew's. I'm now the person who's been there the longest, Kasey died last week." My heart numbs at mentioning Kasey, but I try not to cry any more than I already have.

"Shit." Caitlyn envelopes me in a hug and holds me tight.

I feel the walls start breaking down and I sob into her shoulder. I cry for everyone I've lost.

For little Michael, who never even lost his first tooth. For Jane, who was terrified that her baby inherited more than just her looks. For Mark, who didn't finish his doctorate. Andrea never knew love, she was thirteen. Jake had never been fishing. April never found her birth mother. Jude never watched _Across the Universe_. And Luke never proposed to Jenna. So many lives just cut in the middle of their stories. I cried for all of them.

As the tears stop, Caitlyn asks the one question I always ask myself.

"How much longer?"

"I wish could tell you."


	3. Ashamed

Thank you so much to PuRpLe SoCk MoNkEy, Crumbelievable, and nadiac869 for their review on "Sweet Tooth", Heaven's Archer for adding "Sweet Tooth" to her favorites, LEXA14 for subscribing, and al3xasara for adding me to her favorite writer's and favorite stories. It's like silent reviews, it makes my heart warm. :)

Also, prop's to angellwings, xXfly-by-nightXx, and Standard-Ang3l for their reviews on "Rose Garden", and for putting Rose Garden to their favorites!

al3xasara and angellwings for their reviews And DeadlyDaringLove for adding "Painting Wild Flowers" to her favorites.

nitchie4ever, al3xasara, NverSayNver for their reviews and favorites on "Sharing".

Nitchie4ever, al3xasara, angellwings for their support on "In Sickness"

If you haven't read "Rose Garden", "Painting Wild Flowers, "Sharing", or "Winning Roses", I would appreciate it if you did.

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><p><strong>Title<strong>: Ashamed

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><p>Isn't it weird how people find their faith the most in times of need? Where were your prayers when life was good? Where was that thankfulness when things are going your way?<p>

No.

We pray our best when life has knocked us to our knees and there's no other option but to believe in some miracle that might make everything okay again. We find the that the words leave us easily when things are heading south or when we feel like life has been unfair.

I know it's true because I feel the same way every time Blake preps my arm for my IV or when Mindy takes out the syringes.

"okay Ella, we're going to start now"

Caitlyn squeezes my hand as they wipe my back with alcohol.

" Caitlyn, if you have a weak stomach, you might want to leave." Blake says setting the silicone matte on the small of my back. Caitlyn shakes her head fiercely but pales considerably when they start filling the matte in with the syringes. I tense a little as they press the fifteen needle heads into my skin.

"Starting injections, now."

It burns and heats my entire body, and I feel sweat gathering on my forehead, I bury my head into the pillow and bite the inside of my cheek. I can hear Sammy down the hall crying and screaming.

Caitlyn must hear it too, because she squeezes my hand tighter. It's really after they pull the needles out that the burning increases. But I don't cry, I don't have any have any tears left to squeeze out.

I can feel the IV drip start to tapper and the sleep takes over.

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><p>I wake up from my medicated nap feeling more tired than I had before. I notice something out of place. I look over to the guest chair and my heart sinks.<p>

Caitlyn left.

I feel a swamp of emotions flood over me. I'm angry that I trusted someone who ran away. Stupid for not seeing this earlier. But I feel ashamed that I let someone see me so exposed.

"Ella?" Caitlyn comes back and now I'm ashamed for a different reason. Her hair is disheveled and tossed on top of her head, her eyes are swollen and red, and her hands are trembling so badly that her coffee nearly sloshes out on to the floor.

"That was horrible." I chuckle and my back throbs dully.

"Yeah, it was."

"And those hospital gowns. I'm not sure any amount of bedazzling will make them fashionable." She smiles weakly, attempting a joke at my trade-mark sequins and glitter. I grin, shifting to get comfortable.

"Maybe if they weren't so drafty, they'd catch on?"

Caitlyn lets out a loud rasping laugh, causing the coffee to spill on the floor. We try and muffle down to giggles, as Caitlyn tries to get paper towels but is laughing to hard to actually get up.

Finally, we settle down and Caitlyn looks at me with a hallow look.

"Can we tell Jason?"

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><p>I wanted to cry, scream, and raise hell from my perch on the hospital bed. Instead, I rush to the connected bathroom and offer a prayer to the porcelain gods. Nurses' pitied me, Lab Techs' hated me, and Doctors' wanted to use me as a lab rat.<p>

"Take this, you'll feel better." The nurse crooned handing me a little white cup with a single blue pill in its bottom. I tried to manage a smile but it felt like a grimace. The nurse smiles back and a little while later Caitlyn is back in the room.

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Even if I wasn't, do I have much of a choice any more?"

"Why did you hide this from me?" Jason asks when Caitlyn leaves to find decent food. Jason and I had always been pretty close, especially since many considered us to be stupid. Jason was taking this personally, because we had grown close over the Camp Wars summer. He'd hide in the Wardrobe Cabin from while the JR Rockers were terrorizing another class.

"I wasn't hiding it from anyone," I fidgeted with the blanket over my lap "I just wasn't advertising it either." Jason's rough hand covers mine and I meet his eye hesitantly.

"Ella, be honest." Jason saw right through me every time.

"I thought that the camp was more important. I didn't want to spend the whole summer having people worry over me. I had enough of that during the regular year."

Jason nods and runs a hand through his hair.

"It was safe because no one knew... well... what are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to sing."

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><p>"You had a lot of visitors today, Ella-belle." Javi says from his station at the Foosball table.<p>

"Yeah, I had some friends find out." I watch the ball as it flicks around the court, trying to keep it away from my goal.

"Did you tell that boy yet?"

_Point Javi._

"No." I grumble, retrieving the ball from the goal.

"You should. If he's anything like you say, he'll be mad that you didn't tell him first."

"If I had my way, I wouldn't tell him it all."

Point Ella-belle

"But you can't have your way this time chica. Your little friend is going to find out soon enough."

_Point Javi._

_Point Javi._

_Point Javi_

_Point Ella-belle_

"I know." Javi doesn't place the ball back on the court, but holds it in his hand while the gazes at me.

I throw my hair up into a ponytail and shove my hands into my pockets.

"I just don't want those looks. The looks of pity and heartache. I can't handle them coming from Nate. I just can't, Javi."

"I'm going to say something, and I want you to think on it really hard Ella." His dark eyes are hard and cut.

"Are you ashamed of your deficiency or ashamed of how you're_ letting_ it effect_ you_?"


	4. Hair

Prop's to angellwings, xXfly-by-nightXx, and Standard-Ang3l for their reviews on "Rose Garden", and for putting Rose Garden to their favorites!

al3xasara and angellwings for their reviews And DeadlyDaringLove for adding "Painting Wild Flowers" to her favorites.

nitchie4ever, al3xasara, NverSayNver for their reviews and favorites on "Sharing".

Nitchie4ever, al3xasara, angellwings, huffle-bin for their support on "In Sickness"

angellwings, Standard-Ang3l, and xXfly-by-nightXx, nadiac869 for their reviews on "Winning Roses"

angellwings, nitchie4ever, al3xasara, and Standard-Ang3l for supporting and reviewing on "Novelty"

If you haven't read "Never Have I Ever", "Novelty", "Rose Garden", "Painting Wild Flowers", "Sharing", "Winning Roses", "In Sickness", or "Sweet Tooth", I would appreciate it if you did.

**A/N:** The song is "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance. I changed one word to fit the plot and that was "chemo" to "treatment".

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><p>"Ella, I think it's time. Your hair can't support these extensions any more." Laura says inspecting my roots closely. Her words almost send me into a frenzy. What would that mean? Would I finally have to go public with my condition? Would I need to cut it short?<p>

Tears build up in my eyes and I feel like breaking down. Laura spins the chair around so she can hold me in a hug.

"Oh baby, I wish this wasn't happening. I wish it was someone who truly deserved to be miserable had this."

I let out a watery laugh and hold in my tears, just hugging her. It was like holding on to her could take away all my pain, humiliation, and suffering.

"When has anyone learned a lesson by watching someone get what they deserve?" I sigh. "Let's just get this over with."

Laura backs away and turns me away from the mirror. "I'm going to cut your hair too, so that people think you just got a new style."

I close my eyes, and listen to the flying of her equipment until all the extensions are out and my hair is now in a wedged bob.

"If I had known that I would look this good, I would have done this before my hair started falling out." I joked weakly, running a hand through my now short hair.

"I agree."

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><p>"Ella?" Shane's eyes bug-out when he takes in my new hair cut. I blush sweeping a few strands behind my ear.<p>

"Oh, hey Shane, Mitchie." He keeps staring and his eyebrows seem to be permanently frozen to furrow.

"Did something happen? What happened? Are you okay?" Mitchie rushes over and slaps a hand to my forehead. Shane moves at a slower pace but abandons his tambourine at the door.

"Yeah, I'm great." I flip through Candace's design sketches for the tour, anything to keep me from fidgeting under their gazes. Shane's hand comes over the booklet and lowers it to the table.

"Ella, seriously. What's going on?" Shane's voice is soft and concerned, something I've never heard from the pop-tart.

"Guys, sit down. I have something to tell you."

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><p>"So you have no idea how long you have?" Mitchie whispers, clutching Shane's hand. I nod my head in affirmation.<p>

"Tell Nate." It was the only thing out of Shane's mouth. His eyes were watering and he shut them tightly before squeezing Mitchie's hand and leaving.

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><p>"Knock, knock." I say, stepping into Nate's little recording room. His head shoots up and his eyes glimmer.<p>

"Hey Ells, rumor has it that you cut your hair." He smirks a little and my heart stumbles over its self.

"Nope," I pop the 'p' obnoxiously and twirl the fringe at the front around my pointer finger. "It shrank six inches into my head." He lets out a long laugh.

"Hey! Do you want to hear something I wrote?" I ask, opening my sheet music and setting it down on the piano, not really waiting for a response.

"Um, yeah. Sure." Nate said, side-stepping out of the way.

"Good, and I want you to listen really hard to the lyrics. This is important to me."

I placed my fingers on the keys and pressed the starting chords.

_Turn away,  
>If you could get me a drink<br>Of water 'cause my lips are chapped and faded  
>Call my aunt Marie<br>Help her gather all my things  
>And bury me in all my favorite colors,<br>My sisters and my brothers, still,  
>I will not kiss you,<br>'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you._

Nate circled the piano, looking intensely at my face, so I opened up and let him in.

_Now turn away,  
>'Cause I'm awful just to see<br>'Cause all my hairs abandoned all my body,  
>Oh, my agony,<br>Know that I will never marry,  
>Baby, I'm just soggy from the treatment<br>But counting down the days to go  
>It just ain't living<br>And I just hope you know_

He had to know, and this was the only way that I could make him understand. Understand the pain and suffering that I lived with. How hard it was for me to love him while knowing that this was happening and he had no idea. I had to show him my heart and how much he means to me and that it's not easy going through this a lone.

_That if you say (if you say)  
>Goodbye today (goodbye today)<br>I'd ask you to be true (cause I'd ask you to be true)_

I'm begging at this point. I'd accept if he left and was angry, but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't break. It wouldn't make my heart hurt any less. I need him. I need him to know that it would be the hardest thing in my world to let him go. For any reason.

_'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you  
>'Cause the hardest part of this is leaving you<em>

His hands are shaking and tears are trickling slowly down his face. He slowly walks over to where I'm seated and shuts the piano lid. His chocolate eyes are blurred with unshared tears as he takes my face between his hands.

"Ella, I don't know what's going on. Or what you're talking about, but I'm not leaving." His lips collide with mine and a moment of desperation takes control. We were physically letting each other know how the other felt. As our lips molded and shifted, they whispered sorrows for lost time. Hands roamed, trying to memorize the feel of the person who held such a large part of you. Skin brushing each other, proving that we were both human.

At that moment, I wasn't Ella Padore, musician, singer, and AISD patient.

I was just a girl, holding the man she loved.


	5. Approval

AN: So, it's been awhile since I've updated... but never fear, there's more to come! I hope y'all are still reading!  
>Reviews make my day. :)<p>

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><p>"Just a reminder that SynthBeat records would like for you to keep all personal questions at a minimum and are to be asked at the end of the presentation. Thank you."<p>

And then I was fed to sharks.

"Hello everyone, it's weird making this conference with out the members of my band with me." I laugh nervously, and the crowd of reporters laughs too while clicking photos and probably writing down possible article titles. I can see my face being zoomed in on from the monitor on the back wall, and it hits me that I'm being a coward.

"I'm not here to talk to you about my professional life today." Another click makes me jumpy, so I take out my note cards.

"It is with a heavy heart that I, Ella Pador, inform you that I have an Auto Immune System Deficiency." A frenzy of flashes happen and murmurs break out over the room.

"For a long time now, I've tried to keep my life and my health separate from each other, but as you can see, I can no longer afford that luxury. Last week, I lost a close friend of mine. His name was Kasey. He wasn't much older than I am, and he had dreams and aspirations just like the rest of us. But like most illnesses, the deficiency didn't care and his time was stopped before it even really began." I pause and look out into the wings, Jason gives me a small grin and a thumbs up.

"And I realized that if I hid in fear of what would happen, that I could miss out on so much more. I had a risk to take and I did. I spoke with doctors earlier this morning to help with the funding for my clinic and treatment center. I also spoke with my friends at the clinic." I grinned a little, "Imagine their surprise at finding out that I was famous." The room laughs again. "I also talked to my friends here at SynthBeat's, their reaction wasn't quite the same. It wasn't a pleasant surprise for them, but they took it in stride like good friends often do." I paused to take a sip of water, getting ready for the questions that would surely come after my speech was over. "But I am determined, determined to find the key to understanding this _**thing **_that controls so much of my life. I'm so sick of not having the answers for my friends that they deserve. I'm tired of having to tell the people I love that I'm sorry for something I can't control. I'm exhausted of seeing peoples lives ending before they should. And that's why I'm here today. To come and share my story. To raise awareness and to give hope to people like me all over the world and tell them that they aren't alone. So here it is world. And if you're scared, frightened, or upset, you're not alone. Thank you so much for your time."

There's a buzz of flashes and feedback from microphones, but I walk off stage with my head held high, ignoring any questions that the reporters might have asked.

Jason envelopes me in a hug and holds me close. "Come on Ells, the rest of them are waiting for us."

* * *

><p>Jason is exactly what the clinic needed, and it makes me wonder why I kept both of my world apart for any amount of time.<p>

"Ella-belle." Javi's face breaks out into a grin as he slings and arm over my should and squeezes me in a half hug. "You should introduce us to your friends." I roll my eyes because I know exactly what he's getting at. "You just want to meet 'my boy'." Using air quotes to tease the Latino. "Eh, maybe."

* * *

><p>"Javi, this is Nate. Nate, this is Javi."<p>

Javi gives an easy grin taking Nate's extended hand, and I can tell from Nate's slight wince, that his grip is set on intimidating. But Nate stays on point and keeps his grin in place before giving me a glance over Javi's massive shoulder.

"How about a game of Foosball?"

I shook my head feircly.

"Sure, why not?"

... let the match begin.

* * *

><p>"So, you and my Ella-belle?"<p>

Point Javi

"That's the intention, yes." Nate said, fishing the ball out of the goal.

_Point Javi_

_Point Javi_

_Point Javi_

"You know, I hardly lose anything, ever." Javi gives an easy grin again as Nate gets the ball and flushes in frustration.

"Really now?"

"Yep." Point Javi "You're takin' this pretty well, meanin' that you're okay with losin'." He looked at Nate's furrowed brow. "But you also don't like losin'."

_Point Nate._

"I think you'd be good for my Ella-belle."

"_Your_ Ella?"

"Yes, my little sister. Well... as close as that gets."

_Point Javi_

"She needs someone who will stand up for her, who will love her, hold her hair when she's sick, an' put her in her place when she's feelin' sorry fo' herself."

Point Javi

"Dude, next time, let the girl play for you." Javi laughs merrily shaking Nate's hand before walking off, to go size up the other members of Connect3, I'm sure.

...

...

...

"What just happened?" I shrug and lace my fingers with his.

"I think you just got the stamp of approval."


End file.
